Assembly for the display and storage of science demonstration units or the like

ABSTRACT

A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED SUPPORT BRACKETS WITH A LOWER UPWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE UPON WHICH IS SELECTIVELY ENGAGEABLY A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR BASE MEMBERS CARRYING SCIENCE OR SIMILAR DEMONSTRATION EXHIBITS.   D R A W I N G

19.73 J. w. M KINNON ASSEMBLY FOR THE DISPLAY AND STORAGE OF SCIENCE DEMONSTRATION UNITS OR THE LIKE Filed Dec 35, 1968 INVE'NTOR JAMES WILLARD MKl N NON BY MTmEA E'y United States Patent ASSEMBLY FOR THE DISPLAY AND STORAGE OF SCIENCE DEMONSTRATIGN UNITS OR THE LIKE James Willard McKinnon, 1427 29th St. SW., Calgary, Alberta, Canada Filed Dec. 23, 1968, Ser. No. 786,114 Int. Cl. A47f /08 US. Cl. 21187 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plurality of elongated support brackets with a lower upwardly extending flange upon which is selectively engageable a plurality of substantially rectangular base members carrying science or similar demonstration exhibits.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in an assembly for the display and storage of science demonstration units or the like.

Although it can be used for other purposes, it is primarily designed for the display and storage of science demonstration units in school laboratories or the like.

It is well known that the sciences lend themselves readily to teaching by demonstration methods but the storage and setting up of such demonstrations is time consuming, expensive, and is often a hit or miss process depending entirely upon the abilities of the teacher and the funds available to him.

If such demonstrations can be mounted upon relatively small rectangular bases, they are easily transported to the students desk for the demonstration and can be passed from one desk to the other so that all students can familiarize themselves with the operation of a particularscience demonstration under study.

Such demonstration units have been provided heretofore but are usually either stored loosely in cupboards or hung from hooks on the inside of doors or the like.

The present invention overcomes all the present disadvantages by providing a standard modular base upon which various science experiment equipment may be mounted and also by providing a support bar upon which the bases can be hooked to support them in a display and storage position neatly and tidily.

The support bars may either be mounted upon a display board or, alternatively, can be secured directly to a wall or other supporting surface thus making the assembly entirely fiexible depending upon the requirements of the school and the display space available.

Further advantage flowing from the above is the fact that if mounted on boards, they are easily transported as a unit from one class to another when desired.

Such science demonstration equipment is often relatively fragile so that it is necessary to provide some means to prevent inadvertent displacement of the base from the supporting bar so that another advantage of the present device is to provide plunger means extending through the bases which engages upon the underside of the support bar when depressed thus preventing the base from being removed from the support bar unless the plunger is withdrawn.

Furthermore, in order to prevent pilferage occurring, locking bar assemblies are provided so that the entire row 3,717,258 Patented Feb. 20, 1973 of bases may be locked to the supporting bar when desired.

In summary, the present invention contemplates a plurality of support bars upon which a plurality of substantially rectangular bases may be hooked to support same, said bases carrying science demonstration equipment for experiments or the like.

With the foregoing in view, and such other or further purposes, advantages or novel features as may become apparent from consideration of this disclosure and specification, the present invention consists of the inventive concept which is comprised, embodied, embraced or included in the method, process, construction, composition, arrangement of parts, or new use of any of the foregoing, herein exemplified in one or more specific embodiments of such concept, reference being had to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a board showing my invention thereon.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged isometric view of one of the bases. I

FIG. 3 is an enlarged isometric view of one of the bases reversed from FIG. 2 and shown in engagement with the supporting bar.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of one of the bases per se.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in detail, it should first be pointed out that none of the science demonstration equipment for experiments will be illustratedas they do not form part of the invention.

However, for clarification purposes, such science demonstrations may include apparatus which demonstrates leverage, electricity and magnetism, scales and weights, small chemical demonstrations, steam demonstrations, and in fact any scientific experiment which is capable of being mounted on a relatively small base.

Furthermore also mountable on the bases are clear plastic blocks within which may be embedded examples of insect life and the like.

From the foregoing, which is not meant to be restrictive or complete, it will be appreciated that almost any form of scientific experiment in many of the disciplines can t be mounted upon relatively small rectangular bases for demonstration and viewing purposes. I

FIG. 1 illustrates a rectangular board 10 which may be secured to a wall or other supporting surface by means of screws 11. Mounted upon this board in spaced and parallel relationship, is a plurality of unit support bars 12, screws 13 extending through the bars and into the board 10.

Alternatively, of course, these unit support bars 12 may be screwed directly to supporting surfaces such as a wall if this is found desirable.

Each unit support bar includes a planar rear plate 14 acting as a support plate by which the bar is attached to the supporting surface through the medium of screws 13, a base or spacer portion 15 extending outwardly at right angles from the lower side 16 of the rear plate 14 and an upwardly extending base member engaging portion I17 extending upwardly from the outer edge 18 of the spacer portion 15. This engaging portion 17 is in spaced and parallel relationship with the attaching portion 14 but terminates with the upper edge 19 spaced considerably below the upper edge 20 of the attaching portion 14 thus presenting a substantially J-shaped section as clearly shown in FIG. 3.

The bases 21 are substantially rectangular when viewed in front elevation and may be manufactured from wood or plastic. They are formed with an elongated recess 22 on the rear side 23 thereof, said recess extending between the two sides 24 of the bases as clearly shown in FIG. 2. A relatively narrow slot 25 extends upwardly from the wall 26 forming the upper boundary of the recess 22, this slot being spaced and parallel from the rear face 23 and also extending between the sides 24 as clearly shown.

This forms a hook type portion 27 and the inner rear corner 28 of this hook type portion is curved or rounded as clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

This curved corner facilitates the engagement of the hook type portion 27 over the base member engaging portion 17 and the width of the slot 25 is such that this engagement is relatively snug to provide maximum support to the base when it is engaged as shown in FIG. 3. It is also slidable along the support bar for positioning purposes.

With relatively fragile apparatus mounted upon the bases, it is desirable that they cannot be jarred loose or inadvertently disengaged from the support bar so that I provide a plunger 29 extending through a drilling 30 in the base from the front face 31 and into the recess 22. When the plunger is pushed inwardly as shown in FIG. 4, the extending inner end 32 of the plunger passes under the spacer portion 15 of the supporting bar thus preventing the base from being disengaged until the plunger is manually withdrawn, it being understood, of course, that this plunger is clear of any apparatus mounted upon the base 21.

It is also desirable to prevent pilferage when not in use and in this connection I provide a locking bar assembly collectively designated 33 and shown in FIG. 1. This consists of a headed bolt 34 engaging the panel 10 just above and adjacent one end 35 of the supporting bar 14.

The elongated locking bar 35 is provided with an open ended slot 36 adjacent the end 37 which engages under the headed bolt 34 as clearly shown.

The opposite end 38 of the bar 35 is provided with a closed ended slot 39 engageable over a hasp 40 extending from the board or panel 10 adjacent the other end 41 of the supporting bar 14. A pad lock 42 may then engage the hasp and prevent the locking bar from being removed.

The locking bar 35 engages over the upper sides of all of the bases mounted upon that particular supporting bar thus preventing them from being removed.

It is desirable that the bases be colored or color coded (not illustrated) to represent various disciplines and the supporting panel or board 10 is also similarly color coded to make for ready identification.

The bases are preferably numbered with corresponding numbers being placed upon the supporting panel 10 just below the supporting bar 14 once again thus facilitating the rapid replacement of the base on the correct board and in the correct location thereon.

Finally a small box 43 may be provided on the board 10 carrying index cards 44 giving a list of the experiments or the like represented upon this particular board or panel or display area.

Various modifications can be made within the scope of the inventive concept disclosed. Accordingly, it is intended that What is described herein should be regarded as illustrative of such concept and not for the purpose of limiting protection to any particular embodiment thereof, but that only such limitations should be placed upon the scope of protection to which the inventor hereof is entitled, as justice dictates.

What is claimed to be the present invention is:

1. In a display device, the combination of a vertical supporting surface, a horizontal support bar secured to said surface and including a horizontally elongated upwardly projecting vertical flange spaced outwardly from said surface, and a plurality of display blocks supported by said bar, each of said blocks being provided at the back thereof with an open recess and with a groove at the top of said recess defining a downwardly oriented hook portion which is supportably engageable with said flange when the flange is received in said groove, and a locking pin slidably mounted in said block for free outward and inward sliding movement through the block, an end portion of the pin projecting outwardly from the block being exposed and readily accessible to facilitate sliding of the pin by finger contact therewith, said pin in its inwardly slid position projecting below said flange and preventing removal of the block from said bar.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,808,521 6/1931 Broder 248-215 1,962,396 6/1934 Katz et al 248-223 X 2,312,985 3/1943 Bales 248-223 976,974 11/1910 Young 292-259 X 1,259,345 3/1918 Beecham 312-216 X 1,805,378 5/1931 Send 40-142 1,884,335 10/1932 Standish 40-142 X 1,997,829 4/1935 McKee 211- X 2,260,068 10/1941 Wagner 40-140 2,964,859 12/1960 Storer 40-140 X ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

